West Seattle Tuesday: Yarn, speeches, bikes, music, more…

(Townsend’s Warbler in Fauntleroy Park, photographed by Mark Wangerin)

First and foremost – remember that a wind advisory is up for this afternoon/evening, so we’ll be tracking the weather if it really does kick up. In the meantime, looking ahead to the rest of today/tonight, including listings from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

BIKE-SHARE BAILOUT? 2 pm at City Hall, the City Council’s Sustainability and Transportation Committee takes up the issue of whether the city will bail out/take over the Pronto bike-share system. Though it has no stations in West Seattle, this is of local interest because District 1 City Councilmember Lisa Herbold is proposing an amendment that would reject the proposal to bail it out and take it over. She explains that she supports bike share, but that a private firm is best to operate it. The meeting will also be live on Seattle Channel, online or cable 21. (600 4th Ave.)

WEST SEATTLE TOASTMASTERS: Their invitation for you:

Come join us at our semi-annual club speech competition on March 1! This meeting is our “International Speech” and “Evaluations”
competition. See our members compete in delivering inspirational speeches or in speech evaluations, applying their best skills to try to advance to the next level of the competition. This event allows guests to see Toastmasters in a broader light than just speech practice. We compete and win! 5:30 for early setup, 6:00 for briefing, 6:30 to 8:00 for the meeting, including the speeches.

(4611 35th SW)

PECOS PIT RESTAURANT SAFETY CONCERNS: 6:30 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle, members of the Junction Neighborhood Organization and neighbors will meet with reps of the under-construction Pecos Pit restaurant at 35th and Genesee to talk about neighborhood safety concerns including the drive-through that’s being added to the building. Among other goals, they hope to “identify possible solutions for enhancing safety for pedestrians and cyclists around the site and especially at the drive-through egress.” JuNO’s René Commons says any interested community members are welcome to attend. (California SW/SW Oregon)

WEST SEATTLE BIKE CONNECTIONS: 6:30 pm at HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor) in The Junction – here’s what’s on the WSBC agenda this month. All welcome. (41st SW/SW Alaska)

WEST SEATTLE CROCHET & KNIT SOCIAL CIRCLE: 7-9 pm at Uptown Espresso in The Junction, all welcome, beginner to expert. (California/Edmunds/Erskine)

LIVE MUSIC: Tuesday night means time for Billy Joe and The RCs, 7:30 pm at Parliament Tavern (4210 SW Admiral Way), and the Starlight showcase at 9 pm at Shadowland. (California SW/SW Oregon).

MORE OF WHAT’S UP today/tonight/beyond, on our complete calendar.

miws March 1, 2016 (11:12 am)

Beautiful, colorful bird to brighten up this dreary day!

Thanks, Mark, and WSB!

Mike

Enviromaven March 1, 2016 (6:20 pm)

Agreed…what a little gem!

Chris S March 1, 2016 (11:51 am)

What on earth could be the issue with Pecos Pit that people keep complaining about? I don’t recall there being this much consternation when the teriyaki place was there.

mike March 1, 2016 (1:47 pm)

The exit for the drive-thu is in a horrible location. Currently it is very dangerous for pedestrians to cross 35th ave, as people tend to speed as they enter on to the west seattle bridge. The drive-thu exit just adds another danger.

Fiwa Jcbbb March 1, 2016 (2:32 pm)

Bravo to Lisa for giving the thumbs-down to this stupid Pronto Bike idea. It might be great in a flat city…I might even use them if I visit Paris or Amsterdam…but not one built on hills…people apparently ride them down Capitol Hill, then they have to be trucked back up…who could have seen that coming? Certainly the people in South Lake Union who’ve lost even more parking spots to the cobweb collecting bike stations did, but if they can’t afford reserved parking in an expensive private garage, they shouldn’t be driving…right Mayor Murray?

Kathy March 1, 2016 (5:58 pm)

You’re right, the people in SLU live within easy walking/biking distance of everything they need and bus connections are fantastic down there, now they will have the Rapid Ride. In fact the bike share stations in their neighborhood are seeing some of the highest usage in the city. They can get to the airport or train station on public transportation in a short amount of time. A very easy neighborhood in which to live car free.

Take if from someone who’s ridden a Pronto bike several times up First Hill and once up Yesler Hill (8% grade), these 7 speed bikes can handle Seattle hills fine, if people are afraid to ride them uphill, it’s a psychological (perceptual) problem and not a physical one.

I appreciate Lisa Herbold’s effort but I am glad her amendment was voted down.

West Seattle since 1979 March 1, 2016 (4:30 pm)

Chris S., if i remember correctly, I don’t believe the teriyaki place had a drive-through.

public administrator March 1, 2016 (5:20 pm)

Lisa Herbold’s amendment failed at the Transportation Committee this afternoon, as did a similar one proposed by Tim Burgess also to limit public funding for an outright buyout of Pronto bike sharing program’s assets. The bill will advance with a 3 to 3 vote to the full council on March 14th.

WSB March 1, 2016 (5:59 pm)

Yes, thanks, I tweeted a bit about the meeting but haven’t had a chance to rustle up a story and might not, but I did want to flag people to it today if they hadn’t already heard. Will be interesting to see how it plays out at the full council.